The Meaning of Jeremiah 36:26 Explained

Jeremiah 36:26

KJV: But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.

YLT: And the king commandeth Jerahmeel son of Hammelek, and Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Jehovah doth hide them.

Darby: And the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Jehovah hid them.

ASV: And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Jehovah hid them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But the king  commanded  Jerahmeel  the son  of Hammelech,  and Seraiah  the son  of Azriel,  and Shelemiah  the son  of Abdeel,  to take  Baruch  the scribe  and Jeremiah  the prophet:  but the LORD  hid  them. 

What does Jeremiah 36:26 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Then Jehoiakim ordered the arrest of Baruch and Jeremiah , but the officials sent to make the arrest could not find them, because the Lord had hidden them. According to Jewish tradition, the accuracy of which is uncertain, Jeremiah"s place of concealment was the Song of Solomon -called "Grotto of Jeremiah" outside the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. Having destroyed the scroll, the king turned next to destroy its authors. Jehoiakim did not continue to hunt down Jeremiah , however, because later the prophet was able to move about the city (ch35).
"The narrative in these verses seems to have been composed as a conscious parallel to2Kings22. In each case a scroll is brought before the king. First the scroll comes into the hands of a state official ( 2 Kings 22:9-10; Jeremiah 36:10-11). Both narratives record the reaction of the king ( 2 Kings 22:11-13; Jeremiah 36:23-26). Both narratives refer to an oracle that follows the king"s response ( 2 Kings 22:15-20; Jeremiah 36:28-31). In 2 Kings 22:11 Josiah "rent his clothes"; in Jeremiah 36:24 Jehoiakim did not rend his clothes but rent the scroll." [1]
"Josiah burns altars in an attempt at reform; Jehoiakim attempts to invalidate the message by burning the scroll. Josiah "heard" the word of the LORD, while Jehoiakim pointedly does not "hear." Finally, the end result is that God "hears" Josiah, but the outcome for Jehoiakim and Judah is another matter as Jeremiah 36:30-31 clearly indicate ..." [2]

Context Summary

Jeremiah 36:1-32 - A Vain Attempt To Destroy God's Word
These written words had been directly given from God, Jeremiah 36:18. The fast was instituted to seek divine help in the approaching conflict with Nebuchadnezzar. But of what good is a fast while the evils of apostasy and disobedience are unredressed? It was against these that Jeremiah protested; and his words were read to a vast concourse of people by Baruch his faithful friend. It was the month of December, and the royal chamber was warmed by a brazier of burning charcoal. As Jehudi read, the godless king cut the roll with a penknife and consigned it to the fire. All down the ages false priests have dealt thus with the Word that condemned them. But a sailor does not escape shipwreck by destroying the chart which indicates the rocks on which he is drifting. God's words are eternal, though the material on which they are written may perish. He who rejects God's truth does so at his peril, while God hides His faithful servants in the secret of His presence, secure from the attacks of enemies. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 36

1  Jeremiah causes Baruch to write his prophesy,
5  and publicly to read it
11  The princes, having intelligence thereof by Michaiah,
14  send Jehudi to fetch the roll and read it
19  They will Baruch to hide himself and Jeremiah
20  The king, Jehoiakim, being certified thereof, hears part of it and burns the roll
27  Jeremiah denounces his judgment
32  Baruch writes a new copy

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 36:26 mean?

And commanded the king - Jerahmeel son of the king and Seraiah son of Azriel Shelemiah son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet but hid them Yahweh -
וַיְצַוֶּ֣ה הַ֠מֶּלֶךְ אֶת־ יְרַחְמְאֵ֨ל בֶּן־ הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ וְאֶת־ שְׂרָיָ֣הוּ בֶן־ עַזְרִיאֵ֗ל שֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֙הוּ֙ בֶּֽן־ עַבְדְּאֵ֔ל לָקַ֙חַת֙ בָּר֣וּךְ הַסֹּפֵ֔ר וְאֵ֖ת יִרְמְיָ֣הוּ הַנָּבִ֑יא וַיַּסְתִּרֵ֖ם יְהוָֽה ס

וַיְצַוֶּ֣ה  And  commanded 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
הַ֠מֶּלֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְרַחְמְאֵ֨ל  Jerahmeel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְרַחְמְאֵל  
Sense: the st son of Hezron, grandson of Pharez, and great grandson of Judah and the founder of the family of Jerahmeelites.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: a Benjamite, the 2nd son of Micah and grandson of Mephibosheth.
שְׂרָיָ֣הוּ  Seraiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׂרָיָה 
Sense: the scribe or secretary of David.
בֶן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
עַזְרִיאֵ֗ל  of  Azriel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַזְרִיאֵל  
Sense: a head of a house of the half-tribe of Manasseh beyond the Jordan.
שֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֙הוּ֙  Shelemiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁלֶמְיָה 
Sense: a son of Bani who put away his foreign wife in the time of Ezra.
בֶּֽן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
עַבְדְּאֵ֔ל  of  Abdeel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַבְדְּאֵל  
Sense: father of Shelemiah of Judah in the time of Jeremiah.
לָקַ֙חַת֙  to  seize 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
בָּר֣וּךְ  Baruch 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּרוּךְ  
Sense: friend, amanuensis, and faithful attendant of Jeremiah.
הַסֹּפֵ֔ר  the  scribe 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: סָפַר 
Sense: to count, recount, relate.
יִרְמְיָ֣הוּ  Jeremiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִרְמְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Hilkiah of the priestly family in Anathoth; author of the prophetic book bearing his name.
הַנָּבִ֑יא  the  prophet 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
וַיַּסְתִּרֵ֖ם  but  hid  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: סָתַר  
Sense: to hide, conceal.
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation